Hits build hope for Antonelli

But when you consider Antonelli’s past two seasons, it is at least noteworthy. Could this be a sign that the Padres’ former top prospect might finally be regaining his batting eye?

“I certainly hope so,” the 24-year-old second baseman said. “Because I can’t keep doing what I’ve been doing. The Padres won’t let me and I couldn’t handle it again.”

The 17th overall pick in the 2006 draft, Antonelli raced through the lowest three levels of the Padres’ farm system in less than two full seasons of pro ball.

Then he hit a wall at Triple-A Portland in 2008. Last year, he ran back into the same wall. After 640 at-bats at Triple-A, Antonelli has a .209 batting average with 11 homers and 61 RBI.

Last year was particularly bad. Not only did he hit .196, Antonelli was limited to 59 games, missing the first part of the season with an infected joint in his right knee and three weeks in the summer with H1N1.

Antonelli, however, had bigger problems.

“All my life, I could hit,” he said. “I was a much better offensive player than defensive player. But at the end of the 2006 season with (Double-A) San Antonio, I stopped hitting.

“I hit .180 over the final month, then hit about .230 in the Arizona Fall League. And my problems continued and worsened at Portland. I don’t know what happened.

“I tried everything to fix it. I looked at a lot of my old swings. We changed some things. I’d change my stance. I’d hit tall, I’d hit short. I used an open stance and a closed stance. It was more than struggling, I was hopeless.”

Then last fall, Antonelli returned to Arizona with a straight-forward directive from the Padres — get comfortable and swing the bat.

“I didn’t even know what the statistics were,” Antonelli said. “There was no pressure. I was just hitting and I felt good again. It was the most fun I’d had in more than two years.”

The Padres certainly hope Antonelli has turned it around. Because of his past two seasons, second base fell to the weakest position in the system.

David Eckstein’s contract was extended through 2010 last summer partially because Antonelli had plummeted from prospect to suspect. As spring training began, the Padres signed 2006 rookie sensation Josh Barfield as a minor league free agent after his release from Cleveland.

“I’d just like to say I feel 100 percent better from the end of last season,” Antonelli said.

Young sharper

Chris Young allowed one hit and a walk over three shutout innings and 46 pitches yesterday against the Los Angeles Angels in Tempe. The outing was highlighted by a pair of strikeouts with his backdoor slider.

“Stuffwise, it was good,” Young said. “My control wasn’t good, but that’s what spring training is for. I was able to get some pop-outs on hitters’ counts.

“There are going to be bumps in the road. The stuff is there. The mechanics will get there.

“I’m going to keep building up my pitch count. I feel if I’m healthy and make 30 starts, the stats will take care of themselves.”

Will Venable and Kyle Blanks each had a double and triple for the Padres, who fell to 1-4 with a 6-5 loss.